BRAD Guzan believes he is going to be part of ‘something special’ at Villa – despite their less-than-convincing start to the season.

The USA international decided to stay at the club when new manager Paul Lambert was appointed because he felt the future was bright under his leadership.

Guzan knew success would not be instant and admits Villa could, and probably should, have taken more than five points from their opening seven games.

But he is confident the right steps have been made in order for Villa to prosper in years to come.

“I stayed because I was excited about the changes at the club and what was going to happen with the players and where the manager wanted to take the club and the direction he wanted to take it,” he said.

“It’s been good so far. We are definitely a club that no longer just aim for the short term. That’s a good sign for everyone.

“There’s a changing of the guard now, in terms of bringing in younger players.

“We want to win games and move our way up the table and have a good year.

“Ultimately it’s going to pay off in a few years down the road.

“There’s not just a one-year plan in place and we’re not saying ‘let’s go off’ straight away.

“We want to build something special.

“Like anything, you have to start from the ground up and the manager has put the pieces together to do that.”

Guzan was convinced to sign a new deal by Lambert just weeks after rejecting a contract extension. His new agreement keeps him at the club until the end of the 2014/15 season in which time he hopes Villa will have started to move their way back up to the higher echelons of the Premier League.

They are currently 16th – just two points above the drop zone – and if things don’t improve it will become another season of struggle.

But the 28-year-old stopper has more positive thoughts in his mind.

He wants a return to the days where he represented Villa in Europe and he feels that is still a possibility in the future.

“I think the size of this club, as players, we want to be in Europe,” he added.

“We want to do the best we can in terms of pushing up the table.

“Any professional will tell you they want to be playing at the highest level.

“To be able to play in the Premier League is an honour but you want to push for Europe, Champions League and trophies. That’s what everyone wants to play for.

“This is something special that we’re building here and while we know that nothing will happen overnight, at the same time, the pieces are in place to get things going.”

Meanwhile, Lambert is pleased with the way Guzan has performed since taking the No.1 spot.

“I think I’ve got two really top keepers in Brad and Shay (Given),” he said.

“Thankfully Brad decided to stay and the two of them are pushing each other.”